Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-06-25
ESSAY ON LIGHTNING.
A Dissertation In Which Illusions to Sc
 ence Are Carefully Avoided.

write on, from the fact that it won't hold still long enough.
 It belongs to the genus Eli, since it is so very likely to get there, or come near it. When it starts to go anywhere it does not pause along the road anywhere to play marbles or take nap in the fence corner, and, if it gets loose and ever so small a start of you, it is almost useless for you to start after it to catch it. Quick is a word of too many letters for it, and space and time are not in it's bright lexicon. We see the flash be- fore we hear the thunder, though it is the latter that makes us jump. If the lightning ever hits you squarely it is hardly worth your while to wait to hear the thunder. Lightning generally comes in a bolt, but just how many yards there are in a bolt has never been accurately measured, and it is one of the greatest things to bolt in the known world, but it can not be bolted down. You observe those red streaks issuing from yonder cloud. We'll, if you would lay your hand on one of them and try to feel how slick it was. you would find that it would be too hot to mention leisurely,.
 Some people are not afraid of light hing, but we always step aside and let it pass. without ever trying to hinder it. That is the best way. It is said that it never strikes man twice in the same place. but we don't see how it should have any need to. You should never get struck by lightning, but if you should be, never strike back Some men who are struck never say any thing about it, and never growl and cave around mad
 Dr. Franklin was the first man who put salt on its tail and got it into bot tie and securely corked it, though now adays it is the fellow outside of the bottle who gets corked. Prof. Morse taught it to walk on the slack wire and do various tricks; but there is great deal of lightning lying around loose yet. Lightning goes for conductors, but we never hear of any street car conductors getting struck by it.
 Scientists say that lightning is cleo tricity, and that electricity is lightning, which is about as close to it as they can come without getting hurt. It is hard for them to boil it down and precipitate it to find out the ingredients, because it is too apt to precipitate itself You can not handle it without gloves, and if it was to slip down into your pocketyou would find it necessary to throw it N,ut las quick as possible. forit will eft a hole in the pocket. It will not be long before it will b, used in our coast Ade- fenSc to knock vessels Into the water, as dynamite is uow used to knock them put of water.
 Lightning is certainly one O: the most striking of the heavenly clements; a little tiashy, it is true. but how sublime and ah- inspiring! Watch that bolt issuing from the dark bosom of that cloud; get up oa the fence so you can get an un- obstructed view of it. Don't take your eyes off of it. Observe those beautiful zig-zags; how sharp are they at the angles! Take my spectacles. Ah, let me first wipe the glasses. Keep your eyes on the bolt. See how it gets nearer and nearer to the earth. Isn't it like fiery vein? Try this spy glass on it; first get it to focus. Not there. Over to your left more. It is going to light on some tree, no doubt. An, there it has settled on the village steeple. Il is going to stay there on the vane. No, see, it has begun to slide down the spire and the shingles, etc., get loose and follow after it, but it will soon root its way into the earth and the sexton will put a brick on the hole and keep it in
 When it lightens you should close tn, windows and doors; if you have you head out the window jawing at you neighbor, step back and put the window town, even if he gets to have the las word. Send each of the family to { different room; it is unlikely that every loom in the house will be struck, SC ,ome of you will be saved. Don't hans around the kitchen stove where tn hired girl is cooking, as lightning nigh come down the chimney and hit you, o Tour wife come in the door, with tht tame effect. Umbrellas attract light ling. so never ask another man tc lllow you to walk under his in storm If you are under a tree and you notic,
 he lightning climbing down it, yol lad better run. If t takes after you
 Sen go it lively. Observe the distane, t is from you and regulate your speed accordingly. If you have any meta lbout you throw it away-money O
 Inything else. Dodge>around the tree
 with celerity. If it turns to head yol
 ,ff shift your course without delay
 Anyway, don't let it get any nearer t
 Tou, and the result will be that it vii
 get kind of tired out and disgusted an,
 ,un into the ground. You can then si
 Town on a log and fan yourself witt
 Tour hat Observe these rules, and
 Tou ever get hit you can charge it to m
 and collect it'd. " Bellaw, in Dc